GitHub Copilot moves to token-based pricing

GitHub has announced that all Copilot plans will shift to usage-based billing on June 1, 2026. The change replaces the current premium request system with GitHub AI Credits, a metered allowance based on token consumption. Usage will be calculated from input, output, and cached tokens, using the published API rates for each model.

The company frames this as a response to Copilot's evolution from a lightweight editor assistant into an agentic platform that runs long, multi-step coding sessions across entire repositories. Under the old model, a quick chat question and a multi-hour autonomous session could cost the user the same amount, forcing GitHub to absorb escalating inference costs. The new billing model aims to align pricing with actual usage, support long-term service reliability, and reduce the need to gate heavy users.

What changes on June 1

Premium request units (PRUs) will be retired in favor of GitHub AI Credits. Key details of the transition:

  • Base plan pricing is unchanged. Copilot Pro remains $10/month, Pro+ remains $39/month, Business remains $19/user/month, and Enterprise remains $39/user/month.
  • Code completions and Next Edit suggestions remain included in all plans and do not consume AI Credits.
  • Fallback experiences are eliminated. Previously, users who exhausted PRUs could drop to a lower-cost model. Going forward, usage will be governed by available credits and admin budget controls.
  • Copilot code review now also consumes GitHub Actions minutes, billed at the same per-minute rates as other Actions workflows, in addition to AI Credits.

A preview bill experience will launch in early May, giving users and admins visibility into projected costs before the transition, accessible via the Billing Overview page on github.com.

Individual plan details

Monthly Pro and Pro+ subscriptions will include monthly AI Credits equal to their subscription price:

  • Copilot Pro: $10/month, including $10 in monthly AI Credits
  • Copilot Pro+: $39/month, including $39 in monthly AI Credits

Users on monthly plans will automatically migrate to usage-based billing on June 1, 2026. Annual plan subscribers will stay on their existing premium request pricing until their plan expires, though model multipliers will increase on June 1 for annual subscribers only. When their plan ends, they transition to Copilot Free with the option to upgrade to a paid monthly plan. Alternatively, they can convert to a monthly plan before expiration and receive prorated credits for the remaining annual value.

Business and Enterprise specifics

Monthly per-seat pricing stays flat, with each seat's cost converting directly into AI Credits:

  • Copilot Business: $19/user/month, including $19 in monthly AI Credits
  • Copilot Enterprise: $39/user/month, including $39 in monthly AI Credits

To smooth the transition, existing Business and Enterprise customers receive promotional included usage for June, July, and August: $30 in monthly AI Credits per user for Copilot Business, and $70 per user for Copilot Enterprise.

Two structural changes accompany the move:

  • Pooled included usage. Unused credits are no longer isolated per user; they are pooled across the entire organization, eliminating stranded capacity.
  • Admin budget controls. Budgets can be set at the enterprise, cost center, and user levels. When the included pool is exhausted, organizations decide whether to allow additional usage at published rates or cap spending entirely.

Recent temporary changes to Copilot Individual plans—including Free, Pro, Pro+, and Student—and the pause on self-serve Business plan purchases were reliability measures tied to this migration. GitHub says usage limits will be loosened once usage-based billing takes effect.